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Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912 | www.dailytrojan.com | VOL. 175, NO. 47 | Thursday March 29, 2012
Admissions
By Melissa Caskey
Daily Trojan
The USC acceptance rate
decreased by more than four
percent this year. Of the 46,000
freshman applications received,
around 8,400 applicants were
accepted, Dean of Admissions Tim
Brunold said.
A group of 1,000 spring admits
will also receive acceptance letters.
Last year, more than 37,000
prospective freshman students
applied to USC and 8,450 were
offered admission.
Brunold said the pool of accepted
students is the most accomplished
group yet to be offered admission
to the school.
“These are among the best
students who are applying to
college this year,” Brunold said.
“Most of them will be ranked in
the top five to 10 percent in their
graduating high school class.”
The school’s acceptance rate
reached an all-time low of 18
percent, compared with 22.7
percent last year.
Nearly half of the admitted
students are from California
and 14 percent of admits are
international applicants. Brunold
said every state in the United
States is represented in the admit
pool and states such as Texas, New
York and Illinois are among the
higher-represented states outside
of California.
“These are all students who
have many choices,” Brunold said.
“And it isn’t often that USC is their
only choice or best choice.”
Brunold also said the group
is more ethnically diverse than
last year’s group of admitted
students. The number of students
deemed as underrepresented
college minorities (Latino, black,
Native American, Pacific Islander)
increased from 19.5 percent in
2011 to 20.5 percent this year.
The school also saw an increase
in the number of first-generation
college students. Of the 8,400
accepted applicants, 1,000 will be
the first in their families to attend
college, Brunold said.
USC acceptance rate
drops four percent
USC admitted the most
number of first-generation
college students this year.
| see USC, page 2 |
Chris Roman | Daily Trojan
’SChange
Samantha Castillo (right), a sophomore majoring in neuroscience, and members of the Student Coalition for Labor
Exploitation simulate a Cambodian sweatshop, where USC merchandise is made, in front of the Pertusati Bookstore
on Wednesday. The simulation advocated for the university to become a member of the Worker Rights Consortium.
By Joey Kaufman
Daily Trojan
The former general manager of
the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
pleaded guilty Wednesday in Los
Angeles Superior Court to a singular
felony charge of conflict of interest.
Patrick Lynch, 55, will repay
$385,000 in restitution within 45
days and will be placed on three
years’ probation, according to
reports from the Associated Press
and the Los Angeles Times. He is
expected to serve 1,500 hours of
community service and to possibly
pay additional fines, as well.
Lynch, along with former
Coliseum Events Manager Todd
DeStefano, former Coliseum
Technology Manager Leopold
Caudillo Jr., two rave promoters and
a contractor, was named last week
in a 29-page grand jury indictment
alleging bribery, conspiracy and
embezzlement in addition to
conflict of interest.
The indictment accuses Lynch,
who managed the Coliseum for 17
years before resigning in February
2011, of knowingly accepting and
permitting bribes for raves and
other events held at the taxpayer-funded
venue.
Lynch pleaded guilty to one of
the six felony counts he faced. Under
the plea agreement, he will not serve
any jail time and will be eligible to
apply to reduce the felony charge to
a misdemeanor following his three-year
probationary period.
He faced up to 15.5 years in
prison, according to the Los Angeles
Times.
Lynch, DeStefano and Reza
Gerami, owner of the rave
promoting company Go Ventures,
Inc., were arrested last Thursday.
Pasquale Rotella, the founder of
Insomniac Events, turned himself in
to authorities the following day.
DeStefano is currently charged
with receiving more than $1.8
million in payments and bribes from
Gerami and Rotella.
All three have pled not guilty.
The Coliseum Commission, the
stadium’s nine-member governing
body, filed a lawsuit against Lynch
and DeStefano in November,
alleging that they had mismanaged
funds.
USC has been a tenant at the
Coliseum since it opened in 1923.
The university has also been in
negotiations with the commission
since September to obtain
operational control of the facility.
Former GM pleads guilty to felony charge
Patrick Lynch is expected to
be sentenced to 1,500 hours
of community service.
Coliseum
Mix master: Felix Cartal’s
new album shows off his
versatility as a DJ. PAGE 5
To-do list: Find preparations and
advice on next year’s housing . S1
weather
today
hi 66
lo 54
tomorrow
hi 66
lo 55
Daily Trojan file photo
Guilty · Patrick Lynch, former general manager of the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum, plead guilty Wednesday to a felony charge.
Jobs
By Burke Gibson
Daily Trojan
The USC Career Center and the
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs held
the first annual career conference
for Ph.D. students Wednesday. The
event, Beyond the Ph.D., aimed to
discuss how Ph.D. students might
use their degrees in the job market,
regardless of whether they seek
professions in teaching, industry or
government.
Despite their academic expertise,
individuals with advanced degrees
often have trouble finding a suitable
career, said Richard Reis, the
executive director of the Alliance
for Innovative Manufacturing at
Stanford University.
He said working in academia as a
professor or assistant professor, for
example, is usually considered the
optimal choice. Reis said teaching
positions are limited, however, and
the field is becoming increasingly
competitive.
Reis also said employers outside
of academia see Ph.D. holders as too
academically focused and tend to
favor job experience over extensive
research on a specific topic.
A panel of Ph.D. recipients and
experts in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics
explained why more education does
not always translate into better
career opportunities.
“You’re really autonomous as a
Ph.D.,” said Peter Baumeister, senior
manager of medical information
at Amgen. “The problem is that in
industry you really have to work with
teams.”
During the panel, Eric Schulze,
a staff fellow at the Food and Drug
Administration, described how
employers view Ph.D. students.
“Post-doctoral studies are
sometimes seen as a waste of
time and expertise,” Schulze said.
“Employers take that into account.”
Current USC students at the event
had mixed opinions about their
professional futures.
“I’m getting ready to graduate,
so right now I’m thinking about
a career,” said Tsutomu Shimizu,
a doctoral student studying
mechanical engineering. “But
industry’s not for me, because
usually they’re expecting industrial
experience.”
Chris Berry, a Ph.D. student
studying electrical engineering,
has observed that job availability is
largely based on a student’s field of
study.
“I worked for five years before
beginning my Ph.D.,” Berry said. “In
industry, I feel like there are a lot more
positions for scientists than there are
for people studying the humanities.”
Panel advises Ph.D. students
on how to use their degrees
Panelists speak about the role
of doctoral degrees outside of
academia, such as technology.
| see Jobs, page 3 |

Student Newspaper of the University of Southern California Since 1912 | www.dailytrojan.com | VOL. 175, NO. 47 | Thursday March 29, 2012
Admissions
By Melissa Caskey
Daily Trojan
The USC acceptance rate
decreased by more than four
percent this year. Of the 46,000
freshman applications received,
around 8,400 applicants were
accepted, Dean of Admissions Tim
Brunold said.
A group of 1,000 spring admits
will also receive acceptance letters.
Last year, more than 37,000
prospective freshman students
applied to USC and 8,450 were
offered admission.
Brunold said the pool of accepted
students is the most accomplished
group yet to be offered admission
to the school.
“These are among the best
students who are applying to
college this year,” Brunold said.
“Most of them will be ranked in
the top five to 10 percent in their
graduating high school class.”
The school’s acceptance rate
reached an all-time low of 18
percent, compared with 22.7
percent last year.
Nearly half of the admitted
students are from California
and 14 percent of admits are
international applicants. Brunold
said every state in the United
States is represented in the admit
pool and states such as Texas, New
York and Illinois are among the
higher-represented states outside
of California.
“These are all students who
have many choices,” Brunold said.
“And it isn’t often that USC is their
only choice or best choice.”
Brunold also said the group
is more ethnically diverse than
last year’s group of admitted
students. The number of students
deemed as underrepresented
college minorities (Latino, black,
Native American, Pacific Islander)
increased from 19.5 percent in
2011 to 20.5 percent this year.
The school also saw an increase
in the number of first-generation
college students. Of the 8,400
accepted applicants, 1,000 will be
the first in their families to attend
college, Brunold said.
USC acceptance rate
drops four percent
USC admitted the most
number of first-generation
college students this year.
| see USC, page 2 |
Chris Roman | Daily Trojan
’SChange
Samantha Castillo (right), a sophomore majoring in neuroscience, and members of the Student Coalition for Labor
Exploitation simulate a Cambodian sweatshop, where USC merchandise is made, in front of the Pertusati Bookstore
on Wednesday. The simulation advocated for the university to become a member of the Worker Rights Consortium.
By Joey Kaufman
Daily Trojan
The former general manager of
the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
pleaded guilty Wednesday in Los
Angeles Superior Court to a singular
felony charge of conflict of interest.
Patrick Lynch, 55, will repay
$385,000 in restitution within 45
days and will be placed on three
years’ probation, according to
reports from the Associated Press
and the Los Angeles Times. He is
expected to serve 1,500 hours of
community service and to possibly
pay additional fines, as well.
Lynch, along with former
Coliseum Events Manager Todd
DeStefano, former Coliseum
Technology Manager Leopold
Caudillo Jr., two rave promoters and
a contractor, was named last week
in a 29-page grand jury indictment
alleging bribery, conspiracy and
embezzlement in addition to
conflict of interest.
The indictment accuses Lynch,
who managed the Coliseum for 17
years before resigning in February
2011, of knowingly accepting and
permitting bribes for raves and
other events held at the taxpayer-funded
venue.
Lynch pleaded guilty to one of
the six felony counts he faced. Under
the plea agreement, he will not serve
any jail time and will be eligible to
apply to reduce the felony charge to
a misdemeanor following his three-year
probationary period.
He faced up to 15.5 years in
prison, according to the Los Angeles
Times.
Lynch, DeStefano and Reza
Gerami, owner of the rave
promoting company Go Ventures,
Inc., were arrested last Thursday.
Pasquale Rotella, the founder of
Insomniac Events, turned himself in
to authorities the following day.
DeStefano is currently charged
with receiving more than $1.8
million in payments and bribes from
Gerami and Rotella.
All three have pled not guilty.
The Coliseum Commission, the
stadium’s nine-member governing
body, filed a lawsuit against Lynch
and DeStefano in November,
alleging that they had mismanaged
funds.
USC has been a tenant at the
Coliseum since it opened in 1923.
The university has also been in
negotiations with the commission
since September to obtain
operational control of the facility.
Former GM pleads guilty to felony charge
Patrick Lynch is expected to
be sentenced to 1,500 hours
of community service.
Coliseum
Mix master: Felix Cartal’s
new album shows off his
versatility as a DJ. PAGE 5
To-do list: Find preparations and
advice on next year’s housing . S1
weather
today
hi 66
lo 54
tomorrow
hi 66
lo 55
Daily Trojan file photo
Guilty · Patrick Lynch, former general manager of the Los Angeles
Memorial Coliseum, plead guilty Wednesday to a felony charge.
Jobs
By Burke Gibson
Daily Trojan
The USC Career Center and the
Office of Postdoctoral Affairs held
the first annual career conference
for Ph.D. students Wednesday. The
event, Beyond the Ph.D., aimed to
discuss how Ph.D. students might
use their degrees in the job market,
regardless of whether they seek
professions in teaching, industry or
government.
Despite their academic expertise,
individuals with advanced degrees
often have trouble finding a suitable
career, said Richard Reis, the
executive director of the Alliance
for Innovative Manufacturing at
Stanford University.
He said working in academia as a
professor or assistant professor, for
example, is usually considered the
optimal choice. Reis said teaching
positions are limited, however, and
the field is becoming increasingly
competitive.
Reis also said employers outside
of academia see Ph.D. holders as too
academically focused and tend to
favor job experience over extensive
research on a specific topic.
A panel of Ph.D. recipients and
experts in science, technology,
engineering and mathematics
explained why more education does
not always translate into better
career opportunities.
“You’re really autonomous as a
Ph.D.,” said Peter Baumeister, senior
manager of medical information
at Amgen. “The problem is that in
industry you really have to work with
teams.”
During the panel, Eric Schulze,
a staff fellow at the Food and Drug
Administration, described how
employers view Ph.D. students.
“Post-doctoral studies are
sometimes seen as a waste of
time and expertise,” Schulze said.
“Employers take that into account.”
Current USC students at the event
had mixed opinions about their
professional futures.
“I’m getting ready to graduate,
so right now I’m thinking about
a career,” said Tsutomu Shimizu,
a doctoral student studying
mechanical engineering. “But
industry’s not for me, because
usually they’re expecting industrial
experience.”
Chris Berry, a Ph.D. student
studying electrical engineering,
has observed that job availability is
largely based on a student’s field of
study.
“I worked for five years before
beginning my Ph.D.,” Berry said. “In
industry, I feel like there are a lot more
positions for scientists than there are
for people studying the humanities.”
Panel advises Ph.D. students
on how to use their degrees
Panelists speak about the role
of doctoral degrees outside of
academia, such as technology.
| see Jobs, page 3 |